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Karez Wells

* 1 of 3 greatest ancient Chinese constructions along with Great Wall and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.
* History: over 2000 years
* Distance from downtown: 0Km /0Hours Drive
* Entrance fee: RMB 40
* Open Hours: All day* Address: Turpan* Best visiting time: All year around

Karez is an unusual underground irrigation system, which nourishes the Turpan oasis and brings life to the region. Built 2,000 years ago, Karez is mainly spread among Hami, Mori and Turpan. There are around such systems densely located in the Turpan Basin. All together the 1,100 Karez systems total more than 3,000 km in length. Such a great construction project is all done by hand and simple tools; the complexity of the work can be compared to that of the Great Wall and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal.

The Flaming Mountain is a watertight mountain, which blocks the underground water melted from the snow of the Bogda Peak. The residents therefore have dug Karez and used the subterranean water for irrigation. Karez is made up of perpendicular wells, open tunnels, and underground tunnels. People dig wells at regular intervals on the slopes of foothills and dig tunnels to link them up, then the subterranean water is drawn from a higher level down to the oasis, where people divert the water into the fields. This system has ensured that the subterranean water will not evaporate quickly due to the hot weather and strong wind. Furthermore, the temperature of the water is kept low, and pollution is greatly reduced.